Lock.



C. L BECK. LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1915.

1 1 97,787. Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. BECK, 0F REBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO V.I. WALKER, OF REIBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

LOCK.

Application filed May'29, 1915,.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. BECK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rebersburg, in the county of Center and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLocks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings.

My present invention relates broadly to new and useful improvements inlocks and has particular reference to an improved form of lock forsecuring a strap after it has been wound about the neck of a bag orsimilar container.

A general object of the invention is to provide a strap lock which isrelatively simple in construction and may, therefore, be cheaplymanufactured and one which may be readily attached to any strap andconveniently employed in securing the same about a sack or equivalentcontainer.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a strap lock whichconsists essentially in a body casing having a fixed gripping jaw and amovable gripping jaw, the jaws being adapted, when set, to grip betweenthem the free end of the strap and to hold this free end againstwithdrawal from the casing, at the same time permitting the tighteningof the strap about the bag.

provision of a strap lock so constructed that the strap may be drawnthrough the lock in one direction to tighten the strap about a bag, thestrap being held from any reverse movement, however, through the lockwhile the lock is in its strap locking position.

The above, and other incidental objects of a similar nature, which willbe hereinafter more specifically treated are accom Specification ofLetters Patent.

Another object of the invention is the Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Serial No. 31,256.

nate corresponding parts, Figure l is alongitudinalsectiontakenthroughthecasing,

showing the movable jaw set in gripping relation to the fixed jaw, andwith the free end of a strap engaged between the jaws; Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section taken through the lock with the movable jaw in openposition; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the lock with the cover plateremoved;

and Fig. 4C is a section on the line 4.4, of

adapted to hold the members 13 against.

withdrawal therefrom to thereby lock the movable jaw in grippingrelation to the fixed jaw.

The casing 10 is in its preferred embodiment, formed as. a metalcasting,,although it may be formed of sheet metal if desired, andincludes a pair of parallel spaced side walls 16 and 17, a single endwall 18 which closes the space between the side walls 16, at one end ofthe casing, and a partition wall 19 which extends from the end wall 10to a point short of the opposite end of the casing and is arranged atthe approximate longitudinal center line of the side walls. A transverseblock indicated at 20 is also formed as an integral part of the sidewalls and extends between these members at the end of the partition wall19, being longitudinally spaced from the open end of the casing,indicated at A in Figs. 1 and 2. Upon the upper edges of the side wallsand the end wall is mounted the cover plate 21 which is in length equalto the side walls and is of a width equal to the distance between theouter faces of the side walls. It will be readily observed, particularlyupon reference to. Figs. 1 and 2 that the top wall forms in connectionwith the partition wall 19, a rectangular, longitudinal chamber, whereinthe locking studs 15 are disposed. It is now to be noted that the bottomof the casing is open so that the lever arm 14 of the movable jaw mayenter the bottom of the casing and engage flatly against the partitionwall 19.

The movable jaw heretofore designated by the numeral 12 is pivoted upona pin 22 which extends between the side walls of the casing, adjacentthe open end thereof, as in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper end of the movablejaw is shaped, as indicated at 23 to form a transversely, relativelysharp edged rib, which is adapted to co-act with the relatively sharpedge of the fixed jaw 11, in gripping the free end of the strap B. Thisfixed jaw 11 is formed as an integral part of the top plate 21 and isproduced by cutting a transverse opening 24 in the top plate adjacentthe open end of the casing. The outer edge of this opening, indicated at25 in Fig. 2, constitutes the gripping edge of the fixed jaw.

One end of the strap is, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, secured to the freeend of the lever arm 14, by pins or equivalent fastening devices 26.These members 26 also serve to secure the one end of the strap to theneck portion of the bag, indicated at 27. The pins 26 are preferablyformed as an integral part of the U-shaped keeper 13, the arms of whichmember are shouldered at their lower ends, as indicated at 28 so thatthe arms may not be turned through the lever arm 14. The U-shapedkeepers 13 are adapted, when the lever arm 14 is seated within thecasing (in which position of the lever arm the movable jaw is ingripping relation to the fixed jaw) to project upwardly through thelongitudinally extending, transversely spaced slots 29 formed in thepartition wall 19. The upper ends of the keepers are adapted to abutagainst the cover plate 21, as in Fig. 1, so that there will besufficient space between the keepers and the upper face of the partitionwall for the accommodation of the locking studs 15. These members 15are, as best disclosed in Figs. 1 and 3, preferably formed as anintegral part of a pair of flat leaf springs 30 and 31. The studs may,however, be formed as separate castings and welded or otherwise se curedto the free ends of the springs. The free ends of the springs are seatedin receiving slots 32 formed in the block as disclosed in Fig. 2. Thefixed ends of the springs are reduced in width, as indicated at 32 andare headed at their rear ends, as indicated at 34, whereby the springsare held against withdrawal from the block 20.

The space between the attached ends of the springs is less than thespace between the keepers 13, whereby the springs normally act toyieldably maintain the studs within the keepers 13.

Preferably the inner faces of the studs are beveled, as indicated at 35in Fig. 4, so that when the lever arm 14 is moved upas the keepers havebeen moved upwardly.

into engagement with the cover plate, the springs act to return thestuds to normal position so that they seat within the keepers andthereby prevent the withdrawal of these members from the casing andconsequently prevent the movement of the movable jaw away from the fixedjaw, until a key, indicated at 36 is inserted in the key-way 37 andturned in such a manner that the webs 38 will spread the springs 30 and31, to withdraw the studs from the keeper.

It is thought that from the foregoing description taken in connectionwiththe accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of thelock will be apparent. It will be readily understood that the free endof the strap may be first passed about the sack to restrict the neckportion thereof and then passed through the open end A of the casing andthrough the jaws 11 and 12 by which members it will be held againstwithdrawal from the casing, after the movable jaw has been properly set.

I now desire to direct particular attention to the fact that the movablejaw is capable of a slight movement away from the fixed jaw 11, evenwhen the studs 15 are in locking engagement with the keepers 13.

The jaw 12 extends at an angle to the lever 14 and-it will be noted thatthe end face of the jaw 12 which confronts the jaw 11 is downwardly andoutwardly curved and that the end of the lever 14 and jaw 12 isoutwardly rounded reversely to the concavity of the face of the upperend of the jaw. In other words, the lever 14 projects beyond its pivot22 and the strap B passes over this projecting portion of the lever andthen inward and upward between the jaws 12 and 11. By this constructionafter the lever 14 is locked in position by means of the keepers 13 thestrap B if drawn against the jaw 12 will cause strain to be applied uponthe jaw 12 inward of its pivotal axis 22 thus causing the jaw 12 to moveslightly away from the jaw 11 sufliciently so to permit the strap to bedrawn through between the jaws and tightened. Any reverse strainhowever, will cause the strap B to bear against that portion of thelever 14 which projects beyond the pivot 22 and thus tends to shift thelever in a direction to carry the jaw 12 toward the jaw 11 and thussecurely grip the strap and prevent any reverse movement. Thus after thestrap is applied to the bag, or other device to which it is attached, itis possible to take up slack in the strap without releasing the lever14.

This is of particular value in many instances. Thus in mail bags itoften happens that the bag by compression eventually becomes moretightly folded up or compressed than it initially was when the look wasfastened, and under these circumstances a mail handler even though hehas no key can readily tighten the strap until the bag is securely andtightly closed. The strap cannot be undone, however, until it reachesthe operator who has the key fitting the look. It is one of theimportant features of my invention that my improved lock permits thistightening up of the strap from time to time without the necessity ofunlocking the locking levers. i e

In reduction to practice, it has been found that the form of thisinvention illustrated in the drawings, and referred to in the abovedescription as the preferred embodiment is the most eflicient andpractical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with theadopting of this device will necessarily Vary, it is desirable toemphasize the fact that various minor changes in the details ofconstruction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to,when required; without sacrificing any of the advantages of'thisinvention, as defined by the appended claims.

\Vhat is claimed is 1. In a locking device, relatively fixed and movableclamping members, the movable clamping member having a bearing face, aflexible element passing between said members and over the bearing faceof the movable clamping member to cause the movable clamping member toshift away from the fixed member when the flexible element is pulled inone direction but shift toward the fixed member when the flexibleelement is pulled in the other direction, and means for locking themovable member in a clamping position but permitting a slight movementof the member away from the fixed member.

2. In a lock of the character described, a body, a flexible elementoperatively con nected thereto, a fixed jaw mounted thereon, a leverpivotally mounted on the body and carrying a jaw at one end movable withrelation to the fixed jaw and coacting therewith to permit the passageof the flexible element between the fixed and movable jaws, the movablejaw being formed with a hearing face with which the flexible elementengages, said bearing face permitting the flexible element 'to be drawnbetween the jaws in one direction but causing the movable aw to grip theflexible element and prevent its passage in a reverse direction uponstrain being applied to the flexible element to reversely move it, andmeans for locking the lever in a clamping position.

3. In a lock of the character described, a flexible element, a bodyattached to one end of the flexible element and having a fixed jaw atone end, a leverpivoted to said body beneath said fixed jaw, said leverextending beyond such pivotal axis, the lever having an angularlydisposed extension from the movable jaw coacting with the fixed jawbetween which jaws the free end of the flexible element is adapted topass, said jaw on the lever being disposed inwardly of the piv otal axisof the lever, and means for locking the lever against the body.

4. In a lock of the character described, a body having a fixed jaw atone end, a flexible element operatively connected to the body, a leverpivotally mounted at one end upon the body, said lever extending beyondthe pivot of the body and beneath the fixed jaw, the lever having anangular extension projecting into the plane of the fixed jaw and forminga movable jaw, said extension being disposed inward of the pivotal axisof the lever, those faces of the extension which confront the fixed jawand that form the outer end of the lever being reversely curved withrelation to each other, and means for locking the free end of the leverto the body, said means permitting a limited movement of the lever in adirection away from the body.

5. In a device of the character described, a body having a fixed jaw atone end, a lever pivoted upon the body at one end, the lever extendingbeyond the pivotal axis thereof and beneath the fixed jaw, said leverinward of its pivotal axis having an angular extension forming a movablejaw and coacting with the fixed jaw, a flexible element attached to thefree end of the lever and adapted to have its free end disposed over thepivotal end of the lever and between the fixed and movable jaws, andmeans for locking the lever to the body, said means permitting limitedmovement of the free end of the lever away from the body.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

CHARLES L. BECK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent!- Washington, D. C.

